In the News

July 3, 2012 — An abortion doctor facing felony charges for pointing a gun at protesters pled guilty on Friday to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct, the Charleston Post and Courier reports.

Gary Boyle of Tennessee was arrested Oct. 2, 2010, by Charleston, S.C., police following an incident outside the Charleston Women's Medical Center. According to police, Boyle raised a loaded handgun at antiabortion protesters from inside his car.

Boyle and his wife said the protesters approached the car and that the move was in self defense. They told police they were aware of other attacks on abortion providers and feared for their safety.

An attorney entered the plea for Boyle, who did not appear in court. He initially was charged with the felony of pointing a firearm at a person, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The judge accepted Boyle's guilty plea to the reduced charge and ordered him to pay a $100 fine.

The prosecutor acknowledged that the case raised "significant castle doctrine issues," referring to a South Carolina statute that protects residents from criminal prosecutions and civil liability if they use deadly force to repel an intruder, according to the Post and Courier (Bird, Charleston Post and Courier, 6/29).

Video Round Up

N.C. Gov. To Break Campaign Promise on Abortion Bills

AP/ABC News 11's Ed Crump discusses how North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) will break his campaign pledge to not sign any abortion restrictions if he signs a 72-hour mandatory delay bill into law. Watch the video

Datapoints

See where states rank on reproductive rights across the U.S. Plus, find out how states are imposing more restrictions on and limiting women's access to abortion. Read more

At A Glance

"Not since before Roe v. Wade has a law or court decision had the potential to devastate access to reproductive health care on such a sweeping scale."

— Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, on a ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld major portions of a Texas antiabortion-rights law. Read more